Requiem For House
by DrWhohouselock221b
Summary: Pain is what defines him, pain built what he is today. But now it's tearing him down. First 3 chapters are the aftermath of episode 12 season 3 then Leads into life with House and Cuddy together. House!Whump, House/Cuddy, House/Wilson Friendship ONLY. Cover by Cataclysm-X on Deviant Art.
1. Middle Name: Relentless

Chapter 1

Middle Name: Relentless

 **Set Post-season 3 episode 12. After House's emotional encounter with a rape patient, he needs a quiet night in the flat. Of course dredging up old emotions causes some interesting developments. House and Wilson friendship, no slash. Hurt/comfort, Angst… and when I say angst I mean the sky is falling and James Wilson is the only one who can catch it before it crushes Gregory House.**

* * *

House sat on the couch in his flat, listening to the pitter-pat of the rain on his window.

He hated the rain, he absent mindedly massaged the torn and aching muscle in his thigh, the rain always irritated it. It was a like a small child who's mother hadn't heard its cries earlier, and now cries even harder to acquire attention. Only this baby wasn't a baby, it was the aftermath of a grueling and terrible experience that had left a broken man on the earth, with no plan for him. House stood up from his place on the couch. Slowly, carefully… testing the limb before he laid his trust on it. It was holding-for now. He grabbed his cane and began a slow and painful journey across the room to the piano, something to get the ache in his thigh off his mind, and the emotions that that girl had brought up. He didn't want to admit it, but having someone who gave House the sense that he wasn't the only miserable person on the planet comforted him. He couldn't create a sarcastic and snide comment to get her off his shoulders… he had to deal. With the thoughts of the day pushed from his mind, he played a calm but sorrowful tune, the only one that his hands would play in this mood. As his fingers tapped the last few keys of the song, his phone buzzed… Foreman, great.

"What?" He said with a slight snap.

"The patient isn't reacting to the medication, I don't think it's Lupus…"

"Fine, start them on Steroids for Scleroderma. And keep her alive 'till tomorrow." He said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

Foreman hung up, and House internally groaned at the reliance on his guidance his team had. He got up slowly, but instead of the ache of his thigh fading when he stood, the muscle began writhing and clenching relentlessly beneath his jeans. He let out a groan and clutched his thigh, sitting back down on the bench of his piano. He hunched over it, digging the heel of his hand into it to relieve the pain. It wasn't working. His hands shook with the pain wracking his body. _Breath… breath dammit._

As another ripple of a spasm worked through his thigh, he held his breath in an attempt to pull enough strength and tolerance to get up off of the bench. He had to reach his phone, or _a_ phone. _Wilson._ He thanked his laziness for the speed dial he had set up forever ago. After two rings, the Oncologist picked up.

"House? I'm at dinner, can't whatever you have to tell me wait until tomorrow?" He said with a lip of humour.

"Wilson…" *pant* "I need you to come over." He said flatly, his eyes clenched with the effort of keeping his voice even, Wilson noticed the edge, and immediately knew something was up.

"House, are you okay? Where are you?" He said, concern creeping it's way into his voice.

"At home… Just" *pant* "feeling lonely." A short burst of sarcasm making it's way into his reply. He almost couldn't bear to stay awake anymore. Little black spots danced across his vision, and he could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his ears, he wasn't going to make it till Wilson got here. He could hear James babbling in his ear, but couldn't concentrate hard enough to understand it.

His phone dropped to the floor, the battery popping out.

Sweat was now drenching his blue button up and the Rolling Stones t-shirt underneath. He couldn't stay here, he had to make it to the couch, if he ended up passing out, he'd be damned if it was face flat on the ground.

With as much strength as he could muster, he used his left arm to lever himself up from the piano, almost hopping to the couch. Barely making it before he collapsed onto his cushions with a cry of pain. He lay on his side clutching his knee, afraid to touch the muscle, but also in too much pain not to support it. The sweat dripping into his eyes.

Wilson's keys could be heard jingling in the lock to the flat's door, with urgency he stepped in searching the room with his eyes as he walked around the couch. He found a rigid form, sweat covered, and clutching his knee to keep his leg stable. The most frightening thing was the glassy and unaware look in House's eyes.

Wilson knelt down, "House? House, can you hear me?" He said. Putting his fingers to his neck to get a pulse. He was tachycardic. _Not good._

"Wilson…" came a quiet and pained whisper "Morphine…"

Wilson's heart skipped a beat at that word. House hadn't this much breakthrough pain since Stacy left, and even then it wasn't real pain.

House couldn't suppress a scream of agony. This wasn't good. House was breathing hard now, trying to catch his breath. But it was no use. If the pain continued, he'd soon pass out. "Wi-" *gasp* "Wilson, morphine… now." He was gasping with every breath now, groans of pain escaping his mouth as he lay there, helpless.

Wilson had never moved that fast in his life. Racing to the all too familiar bookshelf with the little metal box containing the only thing that House cared for almost more than Wilson. House found a break in the spasms and was able to let his body relax, even with the dull ache in his thigh, perfect timing. Wilson tied the tourniquet around his arm and injected the largest and safest dose of morphine House's agony wrecked body could handle without stopping his heart.

With a long release of breath, House whispered "Thank you." His breaths were still ragged and shortcoming, but they were slowing down with each inhale. His eyes drooped with every passing second as the morphine kicked in, whisking away every stab and clench of pain House had been feeling. "You're welcome, House."

This couldn't just be breakthrough pain. House's day had been long and tough. That girl had done something to him, but it wasn't a bad thing.

* * *

 **Relentless criticism and opinion filled reviews are much needed (and wanted). Please leave a comment if you are so inclined.**


	2. Still Here

Chapter 2

Still Here

As the next morning's sun rose, casting colorful rays over New Jersey, the sickening feeling the absence of morphine caused woke House up. It caused the ache of his thigh to pull his hand to it, and rub it with the same vigor any normal day would have brought.

Today, it wasn't just the rain, or the clouds or the increase in wind that caused his leg to hurt even worse… it was her. He'd never been one to talk to anyone, about anything. But this girl had caused him to actually take a look into his past and examine the darkest corner of his consciousness.

Pulling him away from his thoughts, the smell of fresh pancakes lingered in the room. Wilson was still here? He hadn't even heard him, but now he looked into the kitchen to see the back of Wilson's rumpled and untucked dress shirt. He mentally smiled at the fact that Wilson had stayed. House laced his fingers beneath his injured leg and he turned to place it on the coffee table. A small groan escaping his lips. Sitting on the couch for as long as he had been caused his leg to stiffen up. Especially after he had had a bout of breakthrough pain the night before.

"House, are you up?" Wilson walked into the room, holding a mug of coffee. "Hungry?" He asked.

House glared at Wilson's caring. "Sure."

With that, he turned to retrieve the breakfast that he had just finished making. "Do you want to talk?" he said as he sat down on the couch next to him. Watching House half mess with and eat the food on the plate.

"About what." He said gruffly.

Wilson thought for a moment, if he didn't want House to push him away he needed to keep this steadily on the lines of simple conversation and House talk.

"I just thought you'd want to talk about the case yesterday. That girl refused to talk to anyone, and you got her to talk. To open up, I don't think you understand how big of a breakthrough that is for someone who went through that kind of trauma."

House had stopped eating then. "Oh come on Jimmy, don't breakout the tissues just yet. It's only 10." House's best attempt at a sarcastic comment this morning.

"House, you need to talk about it. Or this breakthrough pain is going to come back. This is Stac-"

"This is _nothing_ like Stacy." An enraged House exclaimed. " _This"_ gesturing to his leg "Is the result of having half my thigh muscle removed without my consent!" He paused, rubbing his now aggravated muscle. "Now don't you have dying people waiting for you. Go care for people who actually need it."

Wilson leaned back on the couch, kicking his feet up onto the table, "Took the day off, Cuddy told me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you didn't try to sneak into the hospital today. Which means… You'll have to talk to me sooner or later."

Easing his leg off the table and reaching for his cane, house got up, with effort none the less, and walked around the couch, heading towards his bedroom. "No I don't."

And with that James Wilson was left alone on the couch of his best friend with one thing on his mind. _What did she say to him?_

* * *

 **This is the next chapter! Sorry it's a bit shorter than the first one. I'll try and post a new chapter everyday, if you are enjoying this please let me know! I will have to forewarn you that I will be on a plane within the next few days. So I may or may not get to writing a new chapter. On the other hand, I may end up writing two. So we'll just have to wait and see!**


	3. Everybody Lies

Chapter 3

Everybody Lies

House looked at his alarm clock that was sitting next to his bed. It read 3:00pm. He had been hiding away from Wilson for the past 4 and a half hours. And through those 4 hours, his leg had gotten steadily worse, but not nearly as bad as the breakthrough pain he endured last night was. The second House found himself alone in his room, his mind wandered to Eve. He had never revealed something so touchy, and mentally scarring like his childhood to anyone. Not even Wilson. And she had somehow broken him. She had told him that she knew, somehow that he was just as broken and miserable as her. She had created a connection no other human being had ever made for House. But with this on his consciousness, he couldn't keep it bottled up anymore. He hated pain, he hated his father. He hated what he had done to him, and his mother. But worst of all he hated humanity. For creating the possibility for such a flawed and miserable person to be created.

House had decided that enough was enough. He grabbed his cane and slowly made his way into the living room, heavily leaning on the sturdy wood for support. He slipped around the side of the couch and dropped into the cushions of his flat.

"Welcome back." Wilson said, flipping the channel on the t.v.

"Do you really want to know we talked about?" He said sadly.

Wilson noticed the sadness in his voice and flipped the television off.

"Do you want to tell me?" Wilson said.

House's shoulders slumped at that.

"I didn't understand why she wanted me. She was just like any other patient that comes into the clinic. I treated her exactly the same way I treated any other patient. And yet she still… made a connection." He whispered the last part, going through his first encounter with the girl over in his head. Mapping out every single thing she said to him.

"While we were alone in that hospital room, Eve said she wanted to talk. And instead of wanting to talk about what happened to her, she wanted to talk about the weather. About normalcy. And I-" He paused, a hand raised off his lap a bit, palm up. "I didn't understand. She had been through something that I have only heard about, never dealt with, or experienced and she chose me to talk to her about the weather. She asked me if anything terrible had ever happened to me, and-" At this he rubbed his face with his hand, leaning onto his knee and placing his chin on his arm. "I told her something. But it wasn't about the infarction." There was a pause as House ran through his mind how he was going to deliver this next part. "I told her about my father. About what he did to me as a child. About my mother, and the things she didn't do."

Wilson was stunned. He had never heard this out of house. He never talked about anything from his past, unless it was something from Medical School or a one-night stand.

At that House relayed the same thing he had to Eve in the hospital room, and at the park. He told Wilson everything.

By the end of it, House could feel a weight being lifted off of his shoulders, and although it was drizzling outside, his thigh had remained the same.

"House." Wilson said. "Why didn't you ever tell me about this? I could've helped. I'm not a psychologist, but I'm not completely useless in a counseling setting."

House shrugged with his hand, his mouth opening a little in response, only to be closed without a word.

"No one ever asked. _You_ never asked, about my childhood. Why I hated my Dad so much. Why my relationship with him has always been a rocky road. And if you did ask, I shrugged it off knowing you guys would let it go."

"I'm sorry, House. I'm so sorry." Wilson said. He knew physical contact was the one thing House hated, and he was going to respect that. With that, house grabbed the remote from beside Wilson and flipped the t.v. to General practice.

* * *

 **This was originally the last chapter, but after a lot of requests for a continuation, I DID continue it, haha. So you can continue to read! These first three chapters were pretty short, but from here on out the chapters get upwards of 1,000 -1,200 words per chapter just in case you were wondering. I hope you're enjoying it so far!  
**


	4. Author's Note: Story Status

Dear Readers,

I'm so happy to see that so many people have found my story! And the few comments I've received have expressed a lot of interest in me continuing the story…

So, I've actually decided to continue. Instead of sticking to the Whole Eve plot, I'm taking a turn and going off into the Huddy relationship, because, well I don't really see what else I can do with what I've already done to the story. I'd like to let everyone know that instead of just writing chapters when I feel like it, and creating the story along the way, I've set up an actual Chapter Guide. At the moment, I have another 7 chapters (I'm going to make them as lengthy as possible without dragging on). I'll try and post a lot in the next few weeks. But I will be on vacation and studying for the SAT, so please stay with me! Thank you for all the reviews and comments and please continue reading!

Archer


	5. No Case?

Chapter 4

No Case?

 **So I decided to reread this and I saw some flaws in the medical part, so I decided to change it and subsequently make the story a bit more interesting. If you'd like, you can reread the chapter so you'll understand the next chapter better. But if not, that's fine, it's not that big of a change (I guess). Anyways, thanks for reading!**

* * *

It had been about two weeks since the Eve Incident, and House hadn't said a word about it. Wilson was worried that House's confession before had been a grief stricken outburst. House never really told him anything, most people would call him and extremely Private Person, which, in fact, he was.

Wilson walked into the hospital with that thought on his mind. His grey overcoat dripped with cold rain as he headed for the elevator. He knew House was going to be trouble today with the weather like this. He smiled at a few of the nurses as he walked by the front desk. Purposely ignoring House's office, he stepped out of the elevator, trying to walk briskly to his office. As soon as he closed the door, a familiar voice spoke behind him.

"Oh hey Jimmy. Fancy seeing you here!" House said oddly happy.

Wilson sighed, letting his hand fall off of the handle, "Funny, I thought I remembered seeing James Wilson on the door." He said, he took off his dripping jacket and stood behind his desk.

House was sitting on the couch, bouncing his Cane on the ground a few times.

"Lucky for you, I'm only staying for a few minutes. The case I've been working on the past 3 days turned out to be Mesothelioma. Go figure. If someone says they're tired all the time and have chest pain what comes to mind?" He asked Wilson

James waited a second, "Heart attack?"

House made a buzzer sound, "Nice try Jimmy, but you should just stick to the caring about people thing." He stood up from the couch. "I gotta go 'work.'"

With that he limped into his office and shut the blinds. He lifted his leg onto the ottoman and lent back into his yellow chair. He rubbed the muscle for a few seconds, cursing the rain. Within minutes, he was out like a light, having not slept well the past few days.

The click of heels brought House back from his light sleep.

"House. Get up." Cuddy said, her hands on her hips.

At the sound of her voice, he cracked open one of his eyes.

"How'd you know I didn't have a case?" He opened both eyes now. "Oh right, forgot Wilson is a blabber mouth."

Cuddy started, "That, and you're team is currently in the clinic working off _your_ clinic hours. Although I'm not Sherlock Holmes, I can fit those two pieces together."

House rolled his eyes. "Well, since," he looked at his watch, "my clinic hours are almost well accounted for, I'm assuming you didn't come up here to tell _me_ to get down _there._ And since you don't have a case in your hand, you came up here for something else." He took the vicodin bottle out and popped a few pills. He stood up and headed for his desk, folding his hands onto it and making a mock "I'm listening" expression.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and moved closer to his desk, "Actually what I came to tell you is-" she stopped, a few thoughtful seconds passed, then, "You know what-never mind. Find a new case." She said with a sigh and then turned to leave.

"Wait." House said, getting up. "I do too." He said as he walked up closer to her, he put his hand on the side of her face and got closer to hers. "I know what you were going to say." He said softly.

"Ever since I hired you, I've wanted to be with you." She said to him, looking into his eyes.

He pressed his lips into hers, and thanked a god he didn't believe in that the blinds were closed and his ducklings were in the clinic.

 **1 Day Later**

"House. This doesn't change anything. Alright?" Cuddy was standing behind her desk. House had barged in, as usual.

"I know, I know. I'm sure the nurses will be happy to have a new gossip topic around now though, that's going to change. _And_ , I have free reign to stare at your ass whenever I want." He said tilting his head a little.

"Well, considering you stared at my ass whenever you wanted already, nothing's changing there." She said, making a scornful face at him.

"Oh, now that would be completely unprofessional... not to mention rude! You don't know me at all." He said making a goofy smile.

"You do know I _am_ still your boss right?" House immediately recognized the beginnings of a threat. "If you do _anything_ that is remotely related to our relationship to get something more out of me, I will do my worst. Understand?" She said threateningly.

"Yes mistress." He said in a deep voice. "By the way, the red dress looks perfect on you" He made his hands into a camera and pretended to snap a picture. With that he turned and limped out the door, heading for his office.

"Okay, ducklings! What've we got?" He said, sitting down heavily into a chair.

Chase read off of the case file, "68 year old male, presented with body aches and fatigue. Says he exercises for three hours three to four times a week. Temperature was escalated at 100.7. Says he's been ill for about two days. Oh, and in 1995 he had a mechanical prosthetic aortic valve implantation as well as a mitral valve annuloplasty in 2010." Chase took a sip of his coffee.

"Hm, thanks for remembering that little tidbit. Run a transesophageal echocardiogram. I want to see if you get meaner in old age."

The team got up from their seats and headed for the door. "Hey, has anyone seen Wilson?" House said, before they left.

 **[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse**

House spotted Wilson in the food line in the cafeteria. He waited for him to get seated before he slid into the seat in front of him. "I thought you were avoiding me Jimmy." He stole one of Wilson's chips.

"Oh who would want to avoid such a charming nice guy like you." He said mockingly, beginning his meal.

"Now you can stop wondering why all the ladies dig me." He smiled.

"Did you come to steal my food, or did you have something to tell me?" Wilson asked.

A few seconds passed, and House's face fell into a serious look.

"Cuddy and I are in a relationship." He said suddenly, eating another chip.

Wilson's focus on his food was interrupted.

"What do you mean you're in a relationship. Have you upgraded to stalker, instead of too friendly neighbor?" He said questioningly.

House scoffed, "No. I mean we're _in_ a relationship." He said again. "And last time I checked, I thought I was already at stalker level." He offered.

"How did you manage to force her into a relationship with you?" He exclaimed.

"Didn't," House shook his head, "It was a legitimate decision. No secret porn tapes to be exploited or anything. Although that does sound like me...I'm planning on keeping this as less 'House relationshipy' as I can. Which means, no fooling around." He winked, and gave a smile. With that House hopped out of his seat, leaning heavily on his cane, and left.


	6. DNR

Chapter 5

DNR

 **The next chapter! We're headed into the Huddy part now. Expect some serious Huddy moments and a bit less of the medical part from here on out. I have about 5 chapters planned out after this one so far, I'm planning on adding a few more after that to wrap everything up, then I'm going to go and finish** _ **The Fix,**_ **which is set in a different from the Requiem universe. Next chapter should be set 3 months after this and really focuses on the House/Cuddy relationship. I'm also planning on writing another story in the Requiem Universe, but not sure yet. Well anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

After House's little chat with Wilson he headed up to his office to see if the ducklings had gotten any new information from their patient. He sat behind his desk, eyes closed and head leaned back. His glass door opened suddenly, startling him out of his lite sleep. Cameron walked in.

"Oh...uh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." She said modestly before continuing, "His prosthetic aortic valve looks fine, but it's his mitral valve where we found the problem. It was previously repaired which is interesting, it showed moderate regurgitation and a vegetation on the anterior leaflet." She had placed the scan on his desk. He picked it up and began analyzing it.

"Hm. Do a white blood cell scan of his heart. If there's anything that can screw up this much, it's them. And where are Chase and Foreman?" House said.

"They're at lunch." She said to him. Not giving any details, House became curious.

"Why aren't you?" He nodded his head towards her. Her gaze became sharp.

"Not hungry." She said finally. There was another pause.

"Well. Judging by how much weight you've lost in the past week, I'd say you're on a diet. But diets still require eating. So either you could be pregnant, or you're depressed. And since you look almost completely normal. I'm going to go with depressed." He finished. She was glaring at him now, eyes piercing his blue ones like a knife. "So the next question is...Why?" He asked it with legitimate curiosity, his voice becoming softer with the question. "I'm fine." She said giving him the 'non of your business' glare, and walked out of the room. He was stepping off that train right now, he would find out sooner or later. Right now, he wanted to sleep.

 **[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse[H]ouse**

Wilson was dumbfounded when House said he was in a relationship with Cuddy. For some reason he got the feeling that House may have been lying to get something out of him. But what? Usually, House would make that known, and he seemed pretty genuine about the whole thing. Wilson got up from his desk chair and headed down to House's office to talk to him. He was pushing the door open when he realized House wasn't even in his office. Wilson glanced at his watch 5:23 pm. House would probably be home already, as long as Cuddy hadn't interfered. With this relationship thing, he wondered if Cuddy was tougher or more lenient with him. Or maybe the exact same. Wilson sighed, and turned on his heel to head back to his office. He should be heading home soon. Maybe he'd pop by House's place later. _Maybe not a good idea._ He thought to himself. _House and Cuddy would probably be together tonight._ Little did Wilson know, House's patient had died about an hour before he had planned on leaving. And patients dying never sat well with House.

 **8:47 pm**

Cuddy knocked on House's door several times before she pulled her key out and unlocked the door. Why she still had it, she had no idea. But with House, it came in handy.

"House?" She asked, stepping into the flat. "House?" A little louder that time. As she walked closer to the couch, she realized House was sitting on it. His head was leaned back, and his eyes were closed. A bottle of whiskey was sitting on the table, about 3/4 full. This wasn't a drunken slumber, not yet at least. House cracked one eyelid open as he heard her footsteps come around the couch.

"How'd you get in?" He said, lifting his head up.

"I've...still got a key...From last time." She said. Now that they were seeing each other, it was okay she had a key. "I heard about your patient." She said. Knowing that she just stepped into sensitive territory. House sighed silently and looked down. She continued, "The guy had a DNR House. It's not your fault the guy didn't want anymore treatment."

Suddenly, House started, "But I knew what was killing him! I could have SAVED him! People don't understand what life means! They go around giving up their lives because they don't want to be sick! Or hurt or in _pain!_ " House yelled. There was a short pause, and House thought he had made the wrong choice yelling at her.

"Do you know what makes you one of the strongest people I know?" She whispered to him, "You've never given up on your leg, on Wilson, on your patients.. You keep fighting to get better, to not feel pain. You always fight to keep Wilson's friendship when it's in jeopardy. You force your patients to do the right thing to save their lives. You may not think so, but you _care_ about people, House maybe not personally but you still care. Just because other people want to give up on themselves doesn't mean that you have to suffer for it."

She waved her hand at the bottle of whiskey. "This. What's that going to do? Drown out your pain for a while, make life a little more bearable? You can be happy, House. And your patient's lack of appreciation for what they have doesn't mean you have to suffer." She whispered, "You have me now, Greg." She sat down next to him on the couch, pulling his hand off of his aching thigh and pulled it to her. She wrapped her arms around his right one and rested her head on his shoulder. "Appreciate what you've got now. Instead of dwelling on what other people don't appreciate."

His mind was pulled away from his aching leg and he let her soft hair rub against his stubble.

"Okay." He whispered. He felt every inhale of breath she took and when her eyes closed, he felt it. He let himself fall into a much needed sleep with her next to him.

* * *

 **Please don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I appreciate what you all have to say!  
**


	7. Classified

Chapter 6

Classified

 **And the next chapter is up! Also some update information on what I have planned for the future, as my other story** _ **The Fix**_ **comes to an end (I'm expecting maybe 2 more chapters at least) I have 3 more stories planned which include a short angsty story, a humor short and probably another story set in the Requiem universe. These will be posted within the next week or so. On a different note, this next chapter is set 4 and a half months after Chapter 5, so if you don't remember what happened at the end of the last chapter please go re-read if you want. Without further adieu, please enjoy chapter 6!**

* * *

House's breathing hitched,

" _I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, it slipped out of my hand-"_

" _Shut your mouth, boy. Little boy's don't talk back to their fathers. Now pick this up right now." John House roared at Gregory. He got down on his knees and began picking up every little piece of the ceramic vase that was now lying on the floor. Greg's mother stood in the kitchen doorway and watched with sadness in her eyes. A specifically sharp piece of the vase cut a half inch gash into his hand, it wasn't deep, but little droplets of blood began to seep out from underneath the pieces in his hand. He stood up and faced his father, shoulder's square._

" _Now go throw that away and come back." John said._

 _When Greg returned, John gripped his upper arm and pulled him to the back door. "Now since you decided it was okay to play ball in the house, you get to spend the night outside." He said, then pushed Greg out the door and locked it._

 _It was probably below 60 degrees outside. The only thing keeping him from getting hypothermia was his winter jacket he had gotten a few weeks ago._

 _Greg crept down the steps to the tree that sat in the middle of their backyard and leant up against it. Wrapping his hand in a washcloth he stuck in his pocket from the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around his legs and stuck his head into them to keep himself warm. A sense of loneliness soon crept in, and fear for tomorrow._

House woke with a jolt, his breathing ragged and fast. He had broken out into a cold sweat. He looked around the room anxiously, making sure it was just a dream. He calmed as he recognized his and Lisa's room. His hand was already rubbing his leg from the jolt. He glanced at his alarm clock, _6 am._ He wanted to reach for that familiar amber bottle, to take the edge off. But he couldn't, not now, not again. He poured a few Ibuprofen onto his nightstand and dry swallowed two. Then waited a few seconds, making sure Cuddy hadn't woken up next to him. He quietly pulled the covers off and helped his right leg onto the cold hardwood. His breath hitched in his throat as his weight was transferred to his mangled leg and the wooden cane. He tiptoed as best he could to the bathroom, leaning on the sink and staring in the mirror. He noticed the lines of ageing that traced his face and the pieces of grey that peppered his hair and his stubble. _When did I get so old?_ He thought to himself. The quiet rustling from Rachel's room broke his gaze from the mirror. He limped quietly out of the room and headed for Rachel's.

Her sleepy blue eyes stared back at him. He sat on the edge of her tiny wooden "big girl bed" and waited to see if she was going to get up or go back to sleep. He was hoping for the latter, but instead she decided to sit up and stare back at him. Curious blue eyes scanning his.

"Hows wanna watch teevee?" Her 3 year old pronunciation of his name made him smile.

"Sure kid." He whispered back. He picked her up, careful to set her on his left hip and limped heavily to the living room. By the time they were settled on the couch, his thigh was burning with newfound pain.

He turned the T.V. onto a show about little kids in a red spaceship flying around weird landscapes. Rachel seemed to like it, so he left it.

Soon enough, her early wake up caught up to her and she lent up against House's body. Curled up next to him, she fell asleep again. He flipped the television to something more interesting and waited for Lisa to get up. All the while massaging his thigh to keep the pain at bay without the aid of his ibuprofen.

 **7:28 am**

"House?" Cuddy said quietly, rubbing her face as she walked into the living room. "What are you doing up so early?" She asked, walking around the couch to look at him.

"Just thought I'd get an early start today." He lied.

Lisa saw Rachel curled up next to him and a she felt her heart flutter a little. He could be the most sarcastic, ornery bastard on the planet, and yet he was sitting on the couch with her 3 year old daughter curled up next to him.

"What time did she get up?" Lisa asked, coming and quietly picking her up, to keep her from waking up.

"About 6." House grabbed his cane and pushed himself off of the couch, following Cuddy into Rachel's room, and watching her put the toddler back in the bed.

After closing her door, Cuddy put her hands on his chest and gave him a small peck. Wrapping her arms around him and putting her head on his chest. He wrapped one arm around her, smelling the minty scent of her toothpaste.

"Thank you for sitting with her." She said to him.

"No problem." He said, before pulling away. "You know, I was thinking we could take the day off, you know, go to the park or something. Rachel would appreciate that. And, I don't have a case. Finished it yesterday, so the ducklings can take care of themselves." He assured her.

She gave a smile thinking it over, then "Sure, I'll go call in."

 **10:03 am**

"Ready Greg?" Lisa asked, leading Rachel to the door with her hand. She noted that House looked handsome with his blue plaid shirt on and his army green overcoat. He was wearing jeans and his motorcycle boots, which added a bit of his natural personality to the outfit.

They stepped outside, letting the cool autumn air tousle their hair, it was early October. Not too cold to stay inside, but the perfect temperature for a day out at the park. Rachel seemed to love the colder weather because she got to wear her purple princess jacket with the matching hat and gloves.

Rachel ran outside and picked up a small pile of leaves that had accumulated on the sidewalk "Wook Hows!" She screeched towards him, her excitement getting the better of her. She threw the leaves up in the air, letting them rain down on her, "It's waining Hows!" She said happily.

They all buckled into Lisa's BMW 3 series, House turned on some rock music, Bon Jovi's: Livin' On A Prayer playing through the radio.

They were pulling into the parking lot to the local park when House realized he had forgotten something, he felt around his pockets while Lisa was getting Rachel out of the car, patting his pants and jacket. Nothing. His ibuprofen had been forgotten on his bedroom nightstand. "Great." he mumbled to himself before getting out of the car.

They spent about an hour at the park, mapping their way from the swings, to the little ponies connected to springs, to the slides and then back to the ponies. Greg would take a minute or two every now and then to sit on a bench and give his leg a break, while Lisa played with Rachel. One of those times, Rachel didn't see House and decided to go looking for him. She found him sitting on one of the benches, holding his cane between his legs.

"Hows! Let's go swin'in'!" She pointed towards the swings, pulling on his hand in the process.

He smiled, "Alright, alright, I'm coming." She ran towards the swings, House in tow. Lisa helped her onto one of the swings and fastened her in before she went to stand behind it with House, who was pushing it lightly with his right hand. Rachel decided to start kicking her feet, making the swing turn right and left a little, also adding a little too much swing. House realized he would end up hit by the metal if he didn't move, but he didn't have enough time to use his cane so he subconsciously used his right leg. Which immediately gave out beneath him. He fell to his knee, Cuddy grabbing his left arm during the fall.

"Greg?" She knelt beside him, "Are you okay?" Concern was etched into her features.

His eyes were closed for a few seconds, before he let out a breath "I'm fine, just tripped." He pushed himself up with the help his cane and Cuddy.

She sighed a little before leaving it alone, she didn't want to push him past his limits. Lisa took over pushing Rachel, while House made his way to a bench, once again. He rubbed at his leg with the heel of his hand.

He knew something had to change.


	8. Next Step

Chapter 7

Next Step

 **So, I know it's been awhile, but I'm back! Sorry for the break in updates, I was out of town for a few weeks, and was unable to take the time to write the next chapter. I know I promised a two short stories about a week ago, and I HAVE written them, but when I said short, I really meant short. So I'm just going to make a One-shot collage and put all of my one shots in it, some longer than others and varying in genres. If you want to go check it out, please do. I'll update occasionally. On the topic of this story, I haven't even thought about how many chapters this is going to have... Which means there's probably going to be quite a few more, so If you were worried I was nearing the end, I'm really not! After the long wait, here you are! Chapter 7, which is a bit longer than usual so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Rachel while eating her breakfast, giggled as Cuddy danced at the sink while doing the dishes. House was sitting at the table as well, staring at his coffee and absent mindedly rubbing his thigh.

House took one last sip of his coffee then stood up carefully and walked over to Cuddy at the sink, "I'm going to head into work early today." He wrapped his left arm around her waist and kissed her, "See you there."

"I love you, House." She said, looking back at his lopsided figure.

He turned to face her, "Love you to." He rubbed a hand on Rachel's head messing up her hair, "See ya kid."

"Bye Hows!" She said, throwing a cheerio at him. He smiled and stalked out of the house.

* * *

He showed up at the hospital 20 minutes later, having dodged Wilson and headed to his office to begin the day's diagnosis of his new patient. House stepped in to the ddx room and sat down in the chair at the head of the table.

"12 year old kid can't sleep, is irritable all the time and has mood swings, what do we got?" He began rubbing his leg again.

Cameron spoke up, "Sounds like he's got an early dose of puberty to me, probably eats too much sweet stuff before bed, that takes care of everything. Why are we here?"

House looked up, "Did you even read the file? Well, I shouldn't expect too much from my lobby statue." House smirked and pointed to Foreman, "Mm, The dark one, what did I forget?"

Foreman sighed and looked at the folder then scoffed, "His kidney's are failing. Kind of an important piece of information don't you think, House?"

House threw his hands up, "Not my fault it was illegal to teach you to read." At that, Cuddy walked into the ddx room.

"House, a word please?" She stepped back into the hallway.

"You kids play nice while mommy and daddy talk." He said before joining Cuddy in the hallway.

"I got a call from Dr. Keyser from the Princeton Pain Clinic. Anything you'd like to tell me about?" She had her hands on her hips.

House sighed and glanced down, "Well, I was saving this for never, but since you brought it up-"

"House, look at me." She waited for him to do so, "If you want this to work, you need to talk to me. This is serious, you shouldn't have to go through this alone, that's why I'm here." She paused waiting for a response,

"I'm seeing him on Saturday at 10:00. It's just a consult, no medication or anything yet."

"What about the medical clinic you were going to to teach about Meningitis?" It took a second before it clicked, and her face grew grim. "So you lied to me about the clinic so that I wouldn't know you were actually going to a Pain Management Specialist to help relieve your chronic pain. Hm, makes sense. I swear, why don't you tell me anything." She shook her head, and glanced at her watch "We'll finish this later, I have a meeting in 20 minutes." She kissed him on the cheek before heading for the elevators.

The team was watching the whole thing, struck with utter awe at the fact that House could actually feel love towards someone else. As House turned to walk back into the room he spotted them looking at him before they quickly got back to talking about the patient.

* * *

Saturday rolled around faster than House would've liked. Within a blink of an eye House was pulling on his grey overcoat and stepping out into the cool autumn air. Cuddy was right behind him, insisting she come along, even with House's continuous rejection.

They pulled up to the Pain Clinic. House was 10 minutes early, he didn't make any move to get out of the car. Cuddy had already popped her door open and gotten out before she realized. She sat back down in her chair and looked at her boyfriend in the passenger seat.

"Greg? What's wrong?" She said, worry knitting her brow.

"I don't think I can do this." He said quietly.

She reached over and rubbed his shoulder,

"It's okay. Dr. Keyser is a specialist and knows exactly what he's doing...He can _help_ you Greg." She paused, "This is going to help, now come on before the wind gets any stronger."

She walked around the front of the car, turning her back to him to give him some privacy as he got out of the car.

As soon as they stepped through the clinic doors House immediately noted the smell of the place. It smelt like lite scented artificial flowers. He noted all of the green chairs that lined the room, little tables with magazines scattered on them placed in between some of the chairs.

"Name please." An older woman asked as House and Cuddy walked up to the front desk.

"Gregory House." He replied.

"And what time was your appointment?"

"10:00 o'clock."

She tapped the keys on her computer for a few seconds before saying, "Alright Dr. House, Dr. Keyser will be with you shortly, you can have a seat over there." She smiled warmly and watched as he turned away, and sat down next to Cuddy on one of the green chairs.

The cushion was minimal, and he was immediately intrigued by evaluating the multiple interesting people also sitting in the room. _Back pain, back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain._ He had deduced every one of the people's reasons for being here. It was pretty easy when everyone was sitting down.

A nurse stepped through the brown door leading into the offices,

"Dr. House?" She looked up and smiled as he pulled himself up. He limped heavily towards her, but stopped as he reached the door. Cuddy was still sitting in the chair, looking at him with sadness in her eyes. He turned and followed the Nurse into the exam room.

* * *

"Dr. House, I'm happy to see that you've come. I'm Doctor Keyser," He shook Greg's hand, "Pleasure to meet you, under the circumstances."

He sat down on the rollie chair and set his clipboard on his lap.

"Well, Dr. House, from your basic medical records, I see you had an infarction about 8 years ago. Your right thigh is the main location of the pain. Can you tell me what kind of pain it is?" Keyser looked up intently, no sign of pity or sympathy.

He took a few seconds. He then looked back to the doctor, he cleared his throat. "Usually it's an intense ache, whenever I take a step it puts a strain on it so the pain increases, usually a sharp stabbing and searing pain that just stays there until I take my weight off of it." Dr. Keyser jotted some notes down on his clipboard.

"And I see you use a cane, does it help?"

House nodded to the cane, "It helps a bit. When actually walking. I can walk without it, but I can't put nearly as much weight on my leg." He looked down, a hint of shame etching his features.

"What about other pain, I'm sure you have some sort of shoulder and back pain as well?" He asked.

"Yeah, only sometimes though, my shoulder's always kind of sore, as well as my back which takes a lot of the weight from my cane. Sometimes there's days where it'll hurt worse than others."

"Do you ever have any breakthrough pain? And if so how often?"

"Well, recently It's gotten worse, in the past 2 or 3 months I've gotten off of Vicodin which I was previously dependent on to function. I have an episode about once or twice every month, only lasts about a day or so."

"What are you taking now to manage the pain?"

Dr. Keyser was intrigued on what medications he was on, there was nothing in the file that said what recent medications he was taking.

House took a moment before shrugging a little, "Ibuprofen, sometimes Tylenol. Doesn't do much of anything though."

He could see the surprise on Dr. Keyser's face,

"I'm extremely sorry to hear that, Dr. House. Hopefully we can help with that. Last question, On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your daily amount of pain?"

House took a second before answering, "Probably a 6, on good days it can go down to a 5 but I haven't been down to a 4 since being off the Vicodin"

"Alright, well do you mind coming out into the hall with me?"

House stepped off the exam table and into the hall.

"Let's take a stroll, shall we?" He started walking down the hall slowly, waiting to see if House would follow him, which he did. He limped heavily beside Dr. Keyser. Not saying a word until half-way down the hall.

"Notice anything interesting?" He asked, not looking at Dr. Keyser.

Keyser didn't say anything for a few seconds, "A lot, actually, but nothing relevant to your case." House was intrigued by this, everything was relevant to his 'case.' His pain is what defined him, what made him who he was.

As they reached the door leading into the lobby, Dr. Keyser stopped.

"I'll be in touch, Dr. House, I know it may seem like a rough start, but I'm sure I can help you. I'll give you a call within the next week or so with some medications and extra methods I'd like to try." He wrote a something down on a sticky note, it read _500 mg acetaminophen and 500 mg naproxen_. "You can combine aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen with acetaminophen. But do not take aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen within 8-12 hours of each other. I'm sure you already knew that though. This should help you at least come down to a 5. Only take it when you need to, if you use it all the time, we'll have to have you detox and it would set back our treatment until then. Until next time." He shook House's hand and showed him out.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Cuddy asked as they shut the doors to their car.

"It was fine." He answered.

"Did he give you any medications?" She asked.

"It's just a consult, but yeah, he gave a me a recommendation to use 500 mg Acetaminophen and 500 mg Naproxen until we meet again."

She looked at him, then put her hand around his neck to pull him towards her a little before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm proud of you." She said to him. "I really am." She started the car and began driving away. Leaving House to think about how far he'd really come.


	9. It's Not My Time

Chapter 8

It's Not My Time

 **And here we go! Right, so previously House has just gotten his first consult with Dr. Keyser the pain management specialist, Cuddy and House are mending some cracks in their relationship, and Rachel is starting to form a new type of relationship with House...but that's saved for the next chapter :D. This one's a bit more intense than the past two, so be prepared, the next chapter may come out sooner than this one did. Just to mention this, Amber IS still alive in this fanfiction, and she never dies. Or does she? We'll have to see, but she is in this chapter, so no confusion there. Title based off of the Song It's Not My Time by 3 Doors Down. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I love you." House whispered in Lisa's ear. They stood in the kitchen, arms around each other.

"I love you too." She said, "Now come on, we've got a dinner to get to." She said, pulling out of the embrace. House watched her exit the kitchen and head towards Rachel's room. He was short in tow by the time she turned the corner. He stood at the doorway watching Lisa pick Rachel up, putting a kiss on her forehead. Mary, the babysitter, had been sitting on the ground, little barbie dolls scattered across the floor, a few hot wheels cars in the mix as well. Rachel wiggled out of her mother's arms and ran/skipped towards House, and grabbed on to his left leg.

"Bye Hows." She rested her head on his thigh. He tousled her hair,

"Bye kid, we'll be back in a couple hours, be good for Mary here, right?" He said.

She smiled up at him.

"Alright, we gotta go, love you." Cuddy said, following House out the door.

"When's your next appointment with Dr. Keyser?" Cuddy asked, as House stopped at a stop light.

"Sometime next week I think."

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, just... nervous, I guess." He said modestly.

She lightly patted his thigh, closer to the knee to avoid the scar.

"You'll be fine." As House was getting ready to turn into the restaurants street, a SUV came swerving off the road towards them. There was nowhere for them to go. House pressed the gas but the car wasn't fast enough. The front end of the SUV smashed into the driver's side, the door engulfing the left side of Greg's body, creating a jumble of bent metal and flesh. House's head lulled to the side, blood dripping onto his slack hands, as the car settled down after the collision.

House was out cold, but Cuddy woke up a few minutes later, a sore neck and a head wound from her head hitting the side of the car. She looked at an unconscious House, whose left arm had a piece of metal sticking out of it, his leg seemed to be fine, both of them. There would be some major bruising, and they'd be lucky if he hadn't broken anything.

"Greg." She said groggily, her voice only coming out as a whisper. A flare of pain shot up from her wrist. She looked down to see an odd bulge on it, realizing it was broken.

* * *

Sirens could be heard in the distance, and a man in a green jacket walked up to her window.

"Ma'am? Ma'am are you alright? Are you hurt? An ambulance is on it's way just hold on." He saw the House slumped in the seat next to her and gasped. "Oh god, Ma'am is he alive?" He asked, trying to get her to focus on him.

"Uhhhhh... " She mumbled before reaching over and checking his neck. At first her heart skipped a beat as her fingers struggled to find a rhythm. But finally, the faint but equal beat could be felt.

"He's alive, he's alive." Relief flowing through her. Just then the ambulance skidded to a halt. A groan came from the driver's side, and then a gasp came as the flood gates opened and House's breathing was hitched in his throat as the pain took over.

"House! House! Hold still, you're fine, the ambulance is here." She started to feel tired, and her heart ached at the sound of the gasps of breath from beside her, as her boyfriend struggled with the pain.

An EMT appeared next to the driver's side door. "Sir! Sir! I need you to calm down! We're gonna get you outta there in a minute alright? Sir!" House's breathing was finally slowing down, but the pain was still there, Cuddy could see it in his eyes. She was pulled out of the car carefully and put a gurney, her arm splinted.

"Take us to Princeton Plainsboro." She said, before losing consciousness. They were speeding off towards the hospital seconds later.

Meanwhile, House's screams could be heard from a mile away as The Jaws of Life pulled the molded metal from his body. By the time the door was open he was hyperventilating, his body almost giving up, unable to hold his head up any longer. He could hear the EMT's shouting something before his body went slack and he succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

 **6:52 pm At the restaurant**

Wilson glanced at his watch, and tapped his foot nervously. "They're not usually late." He said.

"They probably just got hung up with Rachel, it's fine." Amber said.

"Fine, but if they don't show up in the next 10 minutes I'm calling them." He said, not waiting for a reply.

* * *

10 Minutes later Wilson was standing at the front of the restaurant listening to House's voicemail, "House, where are you guys? We've been here for almost an hour. Please call me back." Wilson then dialed Cuddy's number and waited.

Cuddy's wrist was getting soft wrapped before they took her up to x-ray, she felt a rhythmic vibration coming from her jacket, realizing it was her phone she picked it up and answered, knowing immediately it was Wilson.

"Cuddy? Where are you guys? Is everything okay?"

She almost started crying just thinking about it, "Wilson, House and I have been in a car accident, we're at PPH." Waiting for a response, before

"What? Are you alright? Where's House?" His voice was laced with worry.

"He's on his way over...Wilson, it's bad, it's really bad." She said, tears starting to roll down her face.

"I'll be there soon." He hung up.

* * *

 **In the Ambulance**

"Wher... "

"Dr. House? Don't try to talk, we're taking you to the hospital." The EMT said, pressing hard on the wound to his right thigh. The other EMT was applying pressure bandages to his left arm. House became coherent enough to open his eyes a little and mumble, "Where's Lisa?"

"Dr. Cuddy's already been taken to the hospital, she's gonna be fine, just a broken wrist from what I could tell."

Greg let out a sigh of relief, his eyes closing again, he could feel his heart pounding too fast in his chest, he glanced at the heart monitor, 147, not good. The EMT caught the glance and spoke up, "You'll be fine, you're in good hands Dr. House."

He blinked once and realized they had stopped, the gurney moving and jolting as they pulled him out of the back of the ambulance. His breathing hitched as a shot of white-hot pain ran up his right leg and back.

"Is this the second crash victim?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah, 47 year old male, contusion to the right thigh, and head. He's got a piece of metal lodged in his left arm, and blunt force trauma to the entire left side."

"Alright, get an OR prepped, and get me 2 bags of AB."

Cuddy saw House come in and hopped of the gurney, swaying slightly and walked swiftly towards the multiple doctors and nurse's.

"Be careful with his right leg, he's got about a 6 year old pre-existing injury." They were cutting away his pants when they saw the massive scar on his thigh, a millisecond of pause came before the doctors were stopping the bleeding coming from that leg. A piece of metal had come loose from the front of the car that had hit them and scraped his right thigh, creating a several inch gash in his leg, missing the scar though.

The doctors worked feverishly to keep his heart rate down and his chest moving, the surgeons in the OR found multiple areas of internal bleeding inside his abdomen. They were amazed he had lasted this long without surgery. They were struck with another challenge as the world renowned diagnostician coded on the operating table.


	10. Beating Heart

Chapter 9

Only One Way Out

 **Alright here's the next chapter! So this might have a little bit of medical nonsense in it, because I wanted something specific to happen... but I'm not a doctor, so I kinda just made some stuff up to make it work. Other than that, I hope you enjoy, and please don't forget to review!**

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Doctor Cuddy. I know this is a lot to take in. We're keeping him on life support until you decide what you want to do. You can come see him if you'd like." The doctor waited for an answer, Cuddy stood their in shock. Her mind was blank, her eyes were vacant, and her heart was crushed. Those words echoing inside her head.

" _I'm sorry, Dr. Cuddy, Dr. House didn't make it through the surgery."_

A sudden chill was sent down her spine, and she jolted out of a restless sleep.

* * *

The familiar scent of anti-bacterial wipes and hand soap greeted her. Wilson had shown up and was sitting half asleep in the chair next to her. He noticed her jolt from sleep and was immediately awake again.

"You okay?" He said, exhausted.

"Fine. Just a nightmare." Her arm had been casted after the x-ray, and a doctor had given her instructions to take it easy, her concussion had been mild but still dangerous.

"Any new information?" She asked, worriedly.

"No, no one's come out yet. They should be finishing up here pretty soon." Just as James was finishing his sentence, an older doctor pushed his way through the OR doors.

"Family of Gregory House?" He said, Wilson and Cuddy both stood up.

"Well, he's alive. We were able to stop the internal bleeding in his abdomen caused by the blunt force trauma, and were able to get an Ortho doc to come down and help with the left arm. The metal had only caught the flesh, so no bones were broken, but the muscle was damaged. That's been repaired now. As for the right leg... " the doctor paused and took a deep breath,

"His leg was a mess... obviously the pre-existing injury caused a bit of caution to be taken, but we had to take out more of the muscle. I know this wasn't ideal, but in order to stop the severe muscle bleeding completely, we had to remove it. It was caused by blunt force trauma and due to the already removed muscle, there wasn't much left to protect the rest, and when the car hit his left side, the right side of his body was pressed against the steering wheel and console.

"As for recovery options, he should regain some use of his right leg. Similar to what he was dealing with before. I'm sorry, but he will not be able to walk without serious support again, the cane he's been using isn't going to be enough. The Physical Therapist is going to talk to you more about the recovery, but the highest bet is on that they're going to suggest a wheelchair."

Cuddy's breathing hitched, how could this happen? House, wheelchair bound? This couldn't be happening.

"I need to see him." She said suddenly.

"Of course, he's being taken up to the ICU for further monitoring, I'll have a nurse take you up."

* * *

House was pulled from the depths of unconsciousness by a mumbling, he couldn't make out what it was saying. His bright blue eyes soon opened, slowly, and he was met but an older doctor, his attending probably, talking to him.

"Doctor House? Doctor House can you hear me? I need you to wake up." He was saying.

He could feel his swollen chest sending signals of pain, and his right thigh clenching and unclenching as if in the jaws of a shark. He let out a shuddered gasp and clenched the sheets with his right hand. His back arched off the bed an inch.

"Alright calm down Doctor House, we can't up your morphine until we get a neuro-check. Can you hang on for just a few seconds?"

The doctor did a quick neuro-check before ordering more morphine. The sweet blissful feeling of the drugs taking effect made House sleepy. His breathing became regular and he fell back into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Alright so this is a really short chapter, but I've been extremely busy lately. School has been crazy, so I'm just kinda holding on until the weekends to write at all. But of course, homework. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me for not updating for so long. Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**

 **A/U Addressing Recent Comments**

 **Alright, I'd like to address some recent comments claiming that my story is extremely similar to another story (although one is not specified). All of my works are completely original, there's only so many things you can do to a story when you have a specific topic in mind. Out of 21 THOUSAND stories (In the House fandom), some of them are bound to be a tad bit similar. That doesn't mean that I'm just copying someone elses story and rewriting it. I'm sorry this seems similar, I'll try to change it up a bit I guess, but honestly who knows that the next chapter isn't going to be exactly the same as another story you just read? Chapter by chapter, I'm creating a new idea to write about, not using another story as a template. If you don't like the story, don't read it.**

 **My condolences, Archer**


End file.
